New orders for Czech industry worth 5.905 billion Czech Crowns* resulted from an industrial cooperation programme. The agreement for its implementation was part of the contract to supply Pandur wheeled armoured carriers to the Czech military.

The agreement on the implementation of direct and indirect offset programmes for the Czech industry was signed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with the supplier, Defendia CZ company, on 13 March 2009. The manufacturer, Steyr company, confirmed in the agreement to provide orders for Czech companies amounting to 5.445 billion Czech Crowns before 31 December 2012, that is in the first phase of the offsets.

However, two years before the deadline of the agreement, the Steyr company managed to negotiate new, mostly export deals for Czech companies exceeds the agreed sum by a half billion Crowns, that is up to 5,905 billion. "The supplier, within regular evaluation of the offset programme, gave verifiable evidence it had met its obligation already before 31 December 2010," Jiri Stabl from the Press Section of the Czech MoD says.

Direct offsets, that is programmes directly connected to the production of the carriers, have brought more than 1 billion Czech Crowns to the Czech industry. "As far as the implementation of these programmes is concerned, there are first of all VOP-026 Sternberk company, which produces the Pandurs, E-COM company, which develops simulation and training centres, or Meopta company with its supplies of optical instruments," Pavel Bulant, Director of the Armaments Division of MoD, says.

The indirect offset programmes have brought orders for the Czech industry amounting to 4.892 billion Czech Crowns. Among others, CKD Kutna Hora or Siemens, Rail Vehicles, companies are taking part in the programmes.

During his Oct. 27 meeting in Washington with US President Barack Obama, Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas put forth a proposal for NATO pilots to be trained to fly Russian Mi-type helicopters at the LOM flight center in eastern Bohemia. The Czech military, however, wants to swap 32 Mi-type helicopters for 16 Boeing MH-6 type helicopters, the weekly Ekonom reported; these developments have rekindled speculation over the coveted LOM enterprise’s future.

“I’m convinced that it [the proposal] was of interest to our American partners. All NATO member states face the same problem: They are under budgetary pressures which affect defense spending, thus the attempt to concentrate capacity and to specialize is the right step,” Nečas (Civic Democrats, ODS) said in a statement cited by Ekonom.

The proposal is by no means a fresh initiative. US and Afghan pilots have already undergone training at the flight training center near Pardubice, owned by state-controlled LOM, a leading provider of complex repairs and customization of Russian-made Mi-type helicopters. However, this training was conducted under a bilateral Czech–US agreement, and the Ministry of Defense, which owns LOM, is keen to expand training there and make it a so-called NATO Center of Excellence.

The US military has bought dozens of Mi helicopters from third countries for service in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in May signed its first deal to buy directly from Russia, via state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Under the $17.5 million deal, the US military is due to take delivery of 21 giant Mi-17 transport helicopters this month. The multipurpose Mi-17s — an export version of the Mi-8 Hip — can carry up to 37 passengers.

Mils for Boeings

But the Czech military’s own plans appear to run counter to the ambitions to develop the center and widen cooperation; Ekonom’s article Thursday cited a confidential draft Defense Ministry plan for the Czech Air Forces helicopter fleet according to which the military would send eight of its giant Mi-17s and up to 24 of its Mi-24 combat helicopters to Afghanistan in exchange for 16 Boeing MH-6 helicopters — eight transport versions and eight combat versions, the weekly said.

An exchange of confidential emails between analysts and an undercover intelligence officer working for the Texas-based global intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (more commonly known as Stratfor) appears to show the Czech Republic this autumn was ready to issue an “ultimatum” to Washington demanding a better deal on F-16 supersonic fighter jets for itself and NATO members from Central and Eastern Europe — or a significant role for Prague in the planned US anti-missile defense project to counter the “large threat” of Russia.

“If the [Czech Republic] can’t get [Washington’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)] plans or the F-16 deal, then it is done with any non-Eurasian commitments to NATO. Period. If [the Czech Republic] can get [BMD] or the F-16s, then it will pretty much agree to any sort of military commitment the US wants anywhere in the world. That is the ultimatum.” — reads an excerpt from the Stratfor report, based on talks with an unidentified deputy to the Czech Ambassador in Washington (Petr Gandalovič) since promoted to deputy foreign minister and a Czech security attaché, among other sources. The statements within the report, however, are not attributed. ...

On Monday, 28 November 2011 Soldiers from the 42nd Mechanized Battalion part of the 4 Rapid Deployment Brigade started on a two-week training exercise at the Hradiště Doupov training area.

While in the first week devoted to training with the new assault rifle CZ 805 BREN, in the second week of exercise should demonstrate that they are well prepared for deployment in Afghanistan.

Taborsky battalion forms the core of 9th PRT units that will be deployed in February 2012 in Afghanistan, in the province of Logar. The Hradiste training area was for the purpose of exercise divided geographically according to the real situation, which the Czech troops are dealing with in Afghanistan.

The greatest emphasis was placed on the exercise of correct procedures for mounting and implementation of tactical patrols, responding to potential security threats and system planning and management. Practice has shown that the 9th Unit PRT Logar is well prepared for deployment in Afghanistan.

ČTK | 29 February 2012 Prague/Ronneby, Sweden, Feb 28 (CTK) - Czech Jas-39 Gripen fighter aircraft pilots practiced in-flight refuelling in Sweden for the first time Monday, another step on the way to their full cooperation with other NATO countries, Czech air force commander Vlastimil Verner has said.

Two Czech pilots underwent the theoretical part of the training at the Ronneby base on Monday.

Monday, they trained practical re-fuelling from the Swedish tanker C-130 Herkules in the presence of a Swedish instructor aboard a two-seat version of the aircraft.

Denisa Smitalova, spokeswoman for the Czech 21st tactical air force base, told CTK that the flight lasted two hours.

The Gripen was connected with the tanker seven times. The first contacts were only training ones while fuel was drawn in the three remaining ones.

On Wednesday the pilots will perform aerial refuelling in a one-seat version of the fighter plane without an instructor.

The Czech air force now has 14 Gripen fighters that were leased from Sweden for ten years until 2015.

The Czech government decided recently to negotiate with the Swedes about the continuation of this pattern after 2015 as well.

Czech pilots aboard Gripens guarded the air space over the Baltic members of NATO in the past, but they have not yet been deployed in any other alliance operation.

During the first mission of the ‘Livex’ phase the Czech Gripens flew with the South Africans as part of Red Force, defending an area against Swedish and Hungarian attackers.

“Everything is going well. In the morning we flew with the South Africans as Red Air. We had to follow RoEs [rules of engagement] that were adjusted quite drastically,” reported Major Petr Michenka. “Of course we were not happy with that,” he joked, “but Red Air is always the training tool for Blue air. That was our reason to be there.”

The Czech Gripens have flown there first mission during the ‘Livex’ phase of Lion Effort. Photo: Peter Liander

For the mission some Czech procedures were adjusted slightly to operate alongside the South African aircraft, although the two air forces do not have any means of sharing information through a datalink. Despite this, the communications between the two worked perfectly, both in the planning phase and in the air. When one South African aircraft had to drop out from a combat air patrol, a Czech Gripen took its place, working with the South African aircraft as a combined pair.

Overall the Lion Effort experience has been very good so far for the Czech contingent. “We had some maintenance issues on Saturday and needed some additional equipment, but thanks to help from the Swedes all our aircraft were ready for the start,” said Michenka. “I would like to thank the Swedish hosts for really great support.”

WARSAW — The Czech Ministry of Defense plans to sell 134 T-72 main battle tanks currently used by the country’s military, reported local newspaper Hospodarske noviny.

The tracked vehicles are most likely to be exported to an African country, according to the Czech newspaper. The sale will be handled by a private company.

“The tanks are still operational, and they can be deployed in case of war,” said Jan Pejsek, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. In the past, the Czech Republic had sold many of its T-72s to Algeria, the spokesman said. Pejsek said the Czech Army has been gradually shifting its focus away from tanks in favor of lighter military vehicles with higher mobility.

In addition to the T-72s, the Czech land forces have an additional 30 units of the T-72M4 CZ modernized version of the tracked vehicle. The tanks were overhauled by local defense manufacturer VOP from 2001 to 2006. The amount of the contract was 4 billion Czech korunas ($194 million).

The T-72M4 CZ weighs 48 tons and can carry a crew of three. Its 736-kilowatt engine from the U.K.’s Perkins Engines produces a maximum speed of 38 mph. The tank is fitted with a 125mm gun, a 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

The Soviet-designed T-72 has been manufactured since 1971, and used by the Czech Army since 1978. In 1993, the newly established Czech land forces had about 1,600 such tanks.

14:38 GMT, July 23, 2012 The Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic plans to buy approximately ten thousand CZ 805 BREN attack rifles, seven thousand CZ 75 PHANTOM pistols and 500 CZ SCORPION sub-machine guns during next several years.

According to Colonel Pavel Bulant, Director of the Armaments Division of MoD, this quantity should cover needs of all elements of Czech armed forces.

The total cost will exceed a billion Czech Crowns and the purchase is to be made through the framework of a long-term agreement. “Because the ministry is unable to expend this amount at one time, the project will be phased into several years. Based on money available, we would buy a certain number of arms,” Bulant confirms, adding that the Armaments Division at present studies legal and financial aspects of the deal.

All three kinds of weapons, BREN rifles, PHANTOM pistols and SCORPION sub-machine guns have been introduced into units recently and soldiers use them both at home and at foreign missions. Next purchase of several thousand pieces should be started in 2014. “The delivery of almost 8 thousand attack rifles is now in process and will be closed the next year, so we think to start the further phase of the purchase in the subsequent year,“ Bulant explains.

Some five years ago, the Czech military were equipped with 18 kinds of small arms, including 70 types of cartridges in 11 various calibres. That status brought problems in procurement, funding, training and the complicated logistics. The new small arms in unified calibre will make the “handling” more simple and less expensive in future.

(Reuters) - The Czech government will start looking for a new provider of fighter jets unless Sweden improves its offer to extend a lease of its Gripen fighters now used by the air force, the Czech prime minister said on Wednesday.

The Czechs' lease of 14 Gripens, made by Saab, runs out in 2014 and the central European country is under pressure to find a cheap replacement or an extension, as the army budget shrinks.

But the NATO member's Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Wednesday the Czechs would prepare a tender to pick a different supplier unless Sweden improves its offer by November.

"If this, for me surprisingly unwelcoming, attitude persists ... we will go ahead with an open tender and the Gripens will either stay or not," Necas told a news conference after the cabinet discussed the latest Swedish proposal.

The government did not give details on the offer. Daily Pravo reported Sweden had offered a small discount to the current price of around 2 billion crowns per year.

The Czechs leased the Gripens in 2004 for 10 years and about 19.6 billion crowns, or $927.89 million under the current exchange rate.

The government is seeking to extend the lease by several years, pending a decision on the long-term future of its air force. ($1 = 21.1233 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

14:38 GMT, July 30, 2012 The Czech government have decided that the Defence Ministry will go on in talks with Swedish party over prolongation of a lease agreement on SAAB 39 Gripen aircraft till this November.

The Czech government authorised on 25 July 2012 Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra to negotiate over prolongation of 10-year lease of 14 SAAB 39 Gripen aircraft with Sweden till the end of this November.

If there is no acceptable result reached from the talks, the government is ready to open public invitation to tender over supersonic aircraft fleet for the Czech Republic.

The 19.6 billion Czech Crowns lease agreements with Sweden were signed in Prague on 14 June 2004, while the first six aircraft landed at the Caslav Airbase on 18 April 2005, and the whole delivery was accomplished in August the same year.

The first Gripen supersonics of the Czech Air Force assumed protection of the Czech air space on 1 July 2005 replacing outdated Soviet-made MiG-21 supersonic aircraft.

Besides helping several civilian airplanes to reestablish a radio contact when overflying the Czech Republic so far, four Czech Gripen aircraft served in the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltics from May to August 2009. Another tour of Czech Gripen Air Policing in the Baltics starts this September.

Czech Gripen aircraft regularly participate in NATO TIGER MEET and a number of other air exercises held in Europe.

By departure of the first part of the 2nd ACR Contingent to Lithuania, the Czech Republic goes on with participation in the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic States.

The first group of the 2nd ACR Contingent to serve in favour of the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltics departed the Caslav Air Base on 21 August 2012 by CASA C-295M plane. Further air transports of the rest of 64-member Contingent including four JAS-30 Gripen (SAAB 39 Gripen) supersonic aircraft were planned for 23 and 30 August.

Commander of the Contingent Colonel Petr Lanci assumes an operational task in Lithuania from the Polish Air Force Contingent commander on 1 September 2012, and will hand it over to the Royal Danish Air Force on 4 January 2013. “Using experience from the first deployment, we are ready to fulfil the operational task,” Colonel Lanci says.

The Czech Republic entered the NATO Baltic Air Policing in 2009 deploying the 1st ACR Contingent with four JAS-39 Gripen aircraft which served at the Lithuanian Siauliai Air Base from 1 May to 31 August 2009.

”We consider a two-year interval from the first deployment as an optimal rotation cycle,” Brigadier General Jaroslav Kankia, Deputy Director of the Joint Operational Centre of Czech MoD, says at the departure of air personnel from Caslav to Siauliai.